


Melinda May’s School For Gifted Young Ghouls

by Springmagpies



Series: AU August 2020 [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Immortal creatures au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25813240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Springmagpies/pseuds/Springmagpies
Summary: It was a dark and stormy night and their van had just broken down. In need of a phone to call for a tow, Phil Coulson and his sons; Mack, Fitz, and Hunter, knock upon the door of an old house. The house is being used as a school for gifted young girls run by a woman by the name of Melinda May. After they are informed a tow cannot reach them until morning, the boys are invited to stay a night at the house. What the boys don't know is that gifted has an entirely different meaning than what they thought. For, unbeknownst to them, they have stumbled upon a school for magical beings.
Relationships: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Melinda May & Yo Yo Rodriguez & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson & Bobbi Morse, Phil Coulson & Leo Fitz & Lance Hunter & Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Robin Hinton & Melinda May
Series: AU August 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862158
Comments: 60
Kudos: 93
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	1. A Dark and Stormy Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is for day 8 of AU August! I know, it's a day late, but it's here now! Anyhoo, I have no idea what possessed me to write this as it is sort of a crack fic. But hey, those fics are always fun to write! It is inspired by the movie Scooby Doo Ghoul School if any of y'all have ever seen that. So, expect a bit of ridiculousness. And enjoy!!

It wasn’t just raining. No, it was the whole stormy shebang. Thunderclaps and bolts of lightning. Sheets of rain coming down from a darkened sky. And in the middle of this dark and stormy night drove three teenage boys and their father, the group on their way home from a camping trip. The idea of the camping trip had seemed like a good one, but after two and a half days together in the old beat up van patience was running thin. Getting rained out hadn’t helped, and the fact they hadn’t packed enough snacks for the way back pushed emotions over the edge. 

As the storm raged out on the road, Phil, the boys’ dad, was trying desperately to pay attention to the slippery way before him, but the trio was not making it easy. 

“Fitz, stop shoving Hunter’s face into the window please,” Phil said, eyes quickly darting to the fight through the rearview mirror. 

“He stole my crisps.”

“But sharing is caring, Fitzy,” Hunter said, though it was hard to hear with his face against the glass.

“Sharing? You ate the whole bag!”

“Enough!” Phil said, cutting off the retort about to leave Hunter’s window-squished lips. “Fitz, I said knock it off. Mack, stop laughing and trade places with Fitz. And Hunter, handover your ration. Now, all of you behave!”

Just as Phil turned around to give his final order, many things happened at once. There was a great flash of lightning, a loud clap of thunder, and a smoking boom as the old van’s engine finally went kaput. This was all followed by several shouts, a high pitched scream, and the screeching of tires as Phil just managed to get them safely off the road. 

For a moment there was just the sound of heavy breathing and rainfall until Hunter whispered, “Bloody hell.”

Like Phil had suspected, fixing the engine was a no go. The rain was falling too hard to focus and he couldn’t see very well, especially not in the dark. Even if he could see what he was doing, they didn’t have the tools to fix it.

“Looks like we’re walking,” Phil said as he slid the van door open. 

“What?”

“Walking?”

“In the rain?”

“Yes. And don’t give me those looks, I’ve got a plan. Cool how you all took turns there with the questions, though,” Phil said.

With just a bit of grumbling, the boys gathered up their hiking bags and hopped out of the van and into the rain. Once everything was all locked up and everyone was set, they began their walk down the side of the road. 

They weren’t on a major road of any sorts, but rather one that a car would have to pull over to let another pass. The trees along the sides seemed to grow taller in the darkness and the rain did not help the creep factor pervading the air. With a collective shiver, they all walked a little bit closer together. 

Phil had seen a rather large house less than a mile back with all its lights on and was sure that the owners must have a phone they could use to call a tow. Maybe it was even an old bed and breakfast they could stay at for the night, but he was less hopeful of that. 

“You know, this is how murder mysteries happen,” Mack said through chattering teeth. They had been walking five minutes and the rain had already soaked them all to the bone. 

Fitz shook his head slowly, his eyes trained directly ahead as he avoided looking at the trees. “Please don’t say things like that, Mack. It’s unsettling.”

“It doesn’t have to be a  _ murder _ mystery,” Hunter interjected. “Could be a ghosty house.”

“Do you mean haunted?” Mack asked.

“No, Mack. I meant that a ghost lives there.”

“If a ghost lives there it’s haunted.”

“Not if  _ only  _ the ghost lives there. If only the ghost lives there, then it’s just his house, innit?”

“I don’t think so. Fitz, help me out.”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Fitz supplied as his answer.

Hunter rolled his eyes. “If that’s the case, why are you so scared of the trees?”

“Because there could be bears or something.”

“Bears?”

“Yeah, bears. Or murderers.”

Mack nodded. “That’s what I was saying.”

“Boys, there are no bears or murders in the woods,” Phil huffed, flashing the flashlight over each of his sons’ faces.

“Yeah,” Hunter deadpanned, “because they’re all at the house.”

Phil tilted his head to one side and sighed. “Helping or hurting, Hunter?”

“Hurting. Sorry.”

By the time they had reached the house, the boys were a soaking wet mess. Mack had tripped over a rock stuck in the ground and had just narrowly avoided taking a face full of mud. Hunter, too busy laughing, had not seen the hand come up to pull him down as well. Fitz, meanwhile, had stepped heavily into a puddle and splashed himself and Phil with an extra bit of dirty water. It didn’t much matter though as the rain was coming down upon them as if they had walked under a shower head. 

They had just about had it when they saw the house. Standing at the foot of the stone pathway up, a flash of lightning back lit the house and thunder rumbled soon after. 

“Well that’s not creepy at all,” Hunter said, staring up at the mansion before them. 

It was an old Victorian home, an imposing structure against the dark sky. There was a tower with a pointed roof, a chimney billowing with smoke, and high steps leading up to the porch and the front door. On the mailbox just outside the gate read M. May and there were unsettling claw marks on the lid. It was hard to make out all the intricate details of the place, but the windows were lit up with golden light and one could make out a curtain moving shut in one of the ones on the second floor. 

“Alright,” Phil said, pretending for the sake of the teens to not be creeped out, “let’s see if they have a phone we could use.”

The boys shared apprehensive looks between each other, but they followed Phil up the path all the same. An eagle’s face made up the door knocker, a cast iron loops in its beak to signal the arrival of guests. Phil used it twice before stepping a bit away from the door. Again, they saw movement in one of the windows and there were a few voices before the door was pulled open. 

“Hello,” said the woman who answered, her voice as steady and cool as the rain. She was quite the image, standing in the door frame with the golden light at her back. She was wearing all black pajamas with a silk black robe with sleeves that billowed to the ground. Her facial expressions were a mask, but each of them men felt she had peered into their souls for a moment and shivered in spite of themselves. 

“Uh,” Phil stuttered, his brain momentarily frozen, “Hi. My name is Phil Coulson. My sons and I--the boys behind me--we were just coming back from a camping trip and our car broke down. We were just wondering if you had a phone that we could use.”

“I do,” the woman said, but she didn’t move to let them in.

“May we use it?” 

She stared at them, her eyes going to each face before she spoke again. “It’s in the parlor. Try and keep quiet, please. My students are trying to sleep.”

“This is a school?” Hunter whispered loudly to Fitz and Mack.

It was the woman who responded. “Yes. It is a school for gifted young girls, so you understand why I wish you not to bother them.”

Hunted answered with wide eyes and a scout salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

The boys took great care wiping off their shoes and leaving their dirty jackets outside before entering the house, for they had good manners and they were slightly freaked out. The inside of the place was as beautiful as the outside. Original wood flooring, ornate wood details in the archways, delicate chandeliers and brilliant brass fixtures. But what really caught the trio of young boy’s eyes was the movement on the stairs as they walked towards the parlor. On the landing, they had just seen a sweet looking face with glowing eyes peeking around the banister before it was quickly pulled away by a floating hand. 

“Did that little girl have red eyes?” Hunter said the moment they were safe in the parlor. By the strain in his voice, he was trying very hard not to appear completely freaked out.

Fitz, however, didn’t even try to hide his panic. “You’re focused on the red eyes and not the floating hand bit?”

“What in the hell kind of school is this?” Mack said. 

Phil quickly shushed the trio, using his hands to emphasize his point. “Listen,” he said, his voice remaining steady, “we’re just going to use the phone and then go, okay.”

“And ignore the floating hand thing?” Fitz said incredulously, his mouth hanging open. 

“And the glowing red eyes?” Hunter added. 

“And every other creepy thing about this place?” Mack finished. 

“Wow, you guys are getting really good with the piggy back conversations. But yes, we are going to ignore it. Fitz, you said it yourself, there is no such thing as ghosts. It’s probably just the students pranking us for fun.”

Fitz seemed a bit mollified, but Mack was not. “The woman at the door said this was a school for gifted girls. Gifted could mean magic.”

“Or ghosty,” Hunter added. 

“Or--” 

Mack’s next comment was cut off by the small clearing of a throat. All four men turned around quickly. In the archway of the parlor stood a girl about Fitz’s age, for she couldn’t be older than fifteen. She was very pale with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her feet were clad in blue slippers and her pajamas were patterned with stars. She seemed almost unearthly as she stood there with a tray of tea cups and packaged cookies. 

“Hello,” she said softly, “I’ve brought you all tea and biscuits. May isn’t one for coffee so I’m afraid we don’t have any, but I can go back if you’d rather have cocoa.”

“Tea’s fine,” Fitz blurted before anyone could say anything. 

“Wonderful. I’ll just leave it here on the coffee table.”

Gliding past the youngest of the trio with a smile, the girl placed down the tray and left without another word.

“I wouldn’t have minded cocoa,” Mack said, but he smiled as he shot Fitz a knowing, older brother, look.

While Phil called for the tow truck, the boys drained their tea and hungrily ate their cookies. They had been hungry before the hike to the house, but now they were desperate for something to eat. And the tea was a warm comfort after everything. They only looked up from their mugs after Phil hung up the phone. 

“Bad news boys,” he said with a sigh, “it looks like they can’t send a tow until the morning. Roads are too dangerous going up this way.”

“So are we going to march back in the rain and sleep in the van or something?” Hunter asked. 

“That won’t be necessary,” came the voice that had answered the door. 

“How are they all so light on their feet?” Fitz mumbled to Mack who responded with a shrug.

“I have an extra room you can stay in for the night. It’s probably best if you bathe first.”

“Thank you very much, but we would hate to intrude,” Phil tried to say, but the woman shook her head.

“You wouldn’t be. I’d rather you stay here than die out in the cold.”

“Fair point. Thank you.”

“Your room is the first door on the right, the bathroom is the door at the very end of the hall. Goodnight.”

And she left the room without another word. 

“So, we’re just going to stay overnight in the creepy haunted boarding school?” Hunter asked as they gathered up their packs from the entryway.

“Fantastic,” Mack muttered.

Phil cut them off with a shushing noise, pointing up the stairs to indicate that someone might be listening. Then he said in a voice so quiet the boys had to lean in, “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on in this house, but I don’t think it’s anything dangerous. What is dangerous is going back out in that storm. So let’s be gracious guests and get ready for bed.”

The boys mumbled their agreement and followed their father up the steps. While Hunter took his turn in the bathroom, the other three made their way to their room. Fitz was the last one through and therefore was the one who turned around to shut the door. At least he was about to, but someone in the hall caught his attention. It was the girl who had brought them tea. She was walking up the steps with the woman in charge of the school and Fitz couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

“You’re supposed to be in bed, Jemma,” the woman said in a motherly way.

The girl laughed lightly before sobering at the look on the woman’s face. “Sorry, May. It’s just that no one is asleep. Daisy saw those boys through the window and woke everyone up.”

“I thought I heard you all spying over the banister.”

“Well, Robin was a bit obvious, but Daisy pulled her back.”

May smiled ever so slightly before wishing Jemma goodnight. Once May had left, Jemma started to walk towards Fitz’s room. Before he could shut the door, she had spotted him.

“Hello again,” she said with a beaming smile. 

“Hi,” Fitz just managed to say. He had been momentarily stunned by the look she had given him, but was proud he had managed to say anything at all. 

“How was the tea?” she asked.

“It was wonderful,” he replied.

“Oh good. Well, have a goodnight.”

“You too.”

With that, she continued back down the hall. Fitz was again about to shut the door when he saw something that froze him where he stood. Instead of opening the door to her room, Jemma had simply walked through it. Flabbergasted, Fitz had to blink several times and force himself to shut the door.

Mack looked up at him from his seat on the ground. “Who were you talking to--wait, are you okay?”

“She went through the door,” Fitz said, his eyes very wide and his lungs unable to catch a breath. 

“Who?”

“Jemma. The girl with the tea. She just--just--just went through the door. Like it was open, but it wasn’t. I know it was closed.”

“Like a ghost?” Mack asked.

“Yeah,” Fitz said, still not really breathing, “like a ghost.”


	2. Fangs, Phantoms, and Glowing Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this fic was going to be updated in October...then it wasn't. So, I decided to make it a Nightmare Before Christmas fic! And somehow I actually managed to update at least one chapter before Christmas! I have already started on the third chapter so that should be posted tomorrow or Saturday! Thank you all for being so excited for this fic and all the lovely messages surrounding it! I hope you enjoy!

As creepy as the circumstances surrounding their stay was, it had to be said that the house was beautiful. Peeling off his wet clothes, Hunter stared at the intricate stained glass window that was the focal point of the bathroom. It depicted a black bird sitting upon an ocean side rock, its beak pointed at the presently dark sky. In the day time and without a storm raging behind it, the glass was probably a lighter blue. For some reason that he could not quite explain, Hunter felt odd about stripping down in front of the bird.

“You better not be watching me,” he muttered. And he dropped his equally rain sogged socks into his pile of dirty clothes. 

Once he was showered and refreshed, Hunter dried himself off, brushed his teeth, and made to leave the bathroom. He went to open the door, but before he could even take his hand off the brass door knob, he ran headlong into someone on the other side. 

They both hissed as they nursed their respective wounds, Hunter rubbing at the spot on his forehead where they had collided. He was going to curse, but the word caught in his throat as he caught sight of his bathroom buddy.

She was just a tad taller than him with proud blue eyes, gently curved lips, and a long mane of blonde hair. Her grey pajamas were covered in black, almost bat like, birds and her robe sleeves billowed down to the floor. 

“Sorry about the collision,” the girl said. She too was pressing down on her temple. “Was trying to sneak in before another one of you used the shower.”

“It’s alright. No serious harm done. Might have a bruise, but I hear those heal.”

“I have heard the same. Good thing too, would hate to ruin your handsome forehead. Really is your best feature.”

Hunter laughed in spite of himself. His head still ducked from his chuckle, he barely registered that she had moved past him into the bathroom.

“Well, goodnight,” she said, framed in the focal point window. 

“Yeah. You too.”

Ever the courageous young man, he stopped the door before she completely shut it.

“I’m Hunter, by the way.”

She grinned between the gap in the door, revealing a smile accented by pointy white fangs.

“Bobbi.”

And she shut the door with a thud.

Standing alone in the hallway, Hunter’s heart tried desperately to begin beating again. It had completely halted it’s rhythm, and not in the way it had done when he had first seen Bobbi. This time, his heart had frozen in shock. It was only after he had processed the fangs that he realized another observation. 

The bird in the window had flown its nest.

* * *

Fitz had started to pace. And once Fitz got to pacing, there was no stopping it. 

“I am telling you, Mack. She walked through the door! Didn’t open it. Didn’t even touch it. Just--” He took a dramatic step forward and flapped his arms at his sides. 

“So,” Mack said, staring directly forward, “she’s a ghost.”

“But she brought us tea! She was corporeal. She touched things. Tea!” 

“Are you upset because you have a crush on a ghost?”

“She’s not a ghost!”

“But you do have a crush on her?”

Phil rubbed his hand down his face, pinching his nose. 

“I think we’re all tired.”

“I am not tired!” Fitz shot back.

Mack’s brows rose up his forehead as he said, “not tired enough to close my eyes in a haunted house.”

Anchoring his pacing, Fitz gave a great huff and stared at his dad. 

“I don’t believe in any ghosts or haunted anything, but walking through doors, floating hands--”

“Little girls with glowing eyes,” Mack added.

“Yeah, that too. Add that on there. All of those at least warrant us getting out of here.”

Phil took careful steps towards his boys, resting a fatherly hand on the youngest’s shoulder. It was normally his go to method when trying to help his son calm down. 

“As frightening as those things appear, they are not quite as frightening as freezing out in a thunderstorm or getting lost in the dark.”

“I don’t know,” Mack cut in, looking up from his spot on the floor, “I mean…ghosts.”

“And glowing eyes,” Fitz added.

Hunter entered the room with an overly loud bang, causing Fitz to scream and Mack to accidentally hit himself in the face. “Bobbi’s a vampire.”

“Wow, you guys are getting extreme with this piggy back conversation thing,” Phil said. He took his hand off Fitz’s shoulder and returned to pinching the bridge of his nose.

Meanwhile, ignoring his father’s comment completely, Hunter continued on with his point.

“I was leaving the bathroom, right, and ran into her.”

“Into who?” Mack asked.

“Bobbi.”

“The vampire?”

“Yes, the vampire.”

“How did you know she was a vampire.”

“Well you see Mack, that is in fact part of the story. So can I tell it please?”

Mack waved a _please continue_ hand and Hunter carried on with his story.

“I ran into Bobbi and she was super funny about the whole thing. I think she actually might have been flirting with me--”

Fitz groaned and Mack rolled his eyes.

“Will you get to the vampire part, please?” the latter said.

“You lot are seriously the worst to tell stories to.”

“You caught our attention with the vampire thing and then went off from the point. Fitz was at least straightforward with his strange encounter.”

Hunter furrowed his brow. “What strange encounter.”

“I saw Jemma, the girl that brought us tea, walk through a door like a ghost,” Fitz supplied.

"See,” said Mack, “right to the point.”

“And as dull as dishwater,” Hunter countered.

“I saw a bloody ghost!” Fitz shouted. His face fell into his hands. “Not a ghost! I don’t ruddy well know! She walked through the door!”

“So Fitz saw a ghost and is having a crisis and I met an admittedly very pretty vampire. And we aren’t packing up and leaving, why?”

All eyes turned to Phil. He dropped his hands to his sides, stooped down to pick up his dry flannel pajamas, and made his face into an immovable mask. 

“We are not leaving,” he said, walking to the door, “because whatever going on in this house is not life threatening.”

“Brilliant.”

“Glad we’ve got high standards.”

“I’d say a vampire drinking us dry might be life threatening.”

Phil opened the door to the room. “I stand by my statement. It’s a comfortable bed in a creepy house or we hike in the dark back to the van and freeze. You guys mull it over, I’m taking a nice warm shower and getting ready for bed.”

And with that final statement, he closed the door to the room and made his way down the hall. At the exact same time the door clicked shut, lightning struck outside the house with an incredible crash. The dim yellow lights of the hallway flickered ominously and from behind one of the doors there was a very shrill scream. It seemed to be coming from a child

A parental instinct kicked in and Phil ran towards the voice, ignoring the shiver that had run down his spine. The boys had gotten into his head. Trailing down the long rug lined corridor, Phil came to a stop when one of the doors ahead of him opened. Out from the shadowy room appeared the headmistress of the school, her cape like robe flowing behind her as she crossed his path. She gave him a quick nod before she disappeared into the room directly opposite the one she had appeared from. 

He really hadn’t meant to be nosy, but he couldn’t help but see the door had been left slightly ajar and voices could clearly be heard through the crack. 

“It’s alright, Robin. Just the storm, little bird.”

“It was too loud,” cooed a frightened little voice. The words were as light as feathers in the air. 

“I know.”

“Can you make it stop?”

“Not even my powers can make the weather change.”

“Why not?”

“Because Nature has her own magic that I cannot interfere with.”

“Just like my powers?”

“Yes,” Melinda May said gently, “just like yours.”

There was a pause that sounded like wind and rain. Then the chirping of the girl once more. 

“Daisy’s powers defied Nature.”

“No, sweet bird. Daisy’s are one with Nature. Harnessed from the science of the sky.”

“That’s what Jemma says. Did she get that from you?”

“No. I got that from her. I learn things from all of you too, you know.”

“Even from me.”

The response was just above a whisper. “Of course from you.”

Drawn in by the soothing voice of the head mistress, Phil peeked an eye through the crack of the door. A little girl sat on the woman’s lap, the pair perched in a chair under a rosy colored lamp. His eyes might have been playing tricks or perhaps the red lampshade was casting a glow. Or maybe, just maybe, the boys had been right. Whatever the circumstance, the little girl’s eyes glowed a soft red. 

And yet, Phil did not feel the least bit frightened. The scene was too sweet to make him afraid. The shock, however, when Melinda May made a cup of cocoa float her way, did knock him headlong into the adjacent wall. 

_Holy shit,_ Phil Coulson thought once he had righted the vase he had nearly knocked to the floor, _the boys were right._

* * *

As was the way when Fitz started to pace, Hunter and Mack watched him as though he were a ping pong match. 

“A vampire,” he said, not even looking at his brother.

“Yep.”

“And you’re sure?”

“No, Fitz, just thought it would be fun to put you on one of your marches.”

Fitz stopped pacing and turned to look at where his brother was sitting on the four poster bed. His face was set into a straight lined expression. 

“I am just wanting to be sure.”

“Sure? Oh, so you were on board for the ghosty girl and the demon child, but me running in as serious as a heart attack and saying that I met a vampire is where you jump off our nightmare boat.”

“I was never sure of what I saw!”

“You said she walked through the door!”

“She did walk through the door!”

“Then why are you doubting my pretty vampire?”

“Guys!” Mack shouted, promptly shutting up the other two. “Fitz, I know you’re struggling to accept it, but we’re in a magical boarding school. And Hunter, the vampire girl is not going to date you.”

Hunter folded his arms petulantly. “Never said I wanted to date her.”

“No, but you were thinking it.”

There were mutters on Hunter’s lips, but another great crash of lightning broke the sky in a bright crack of light. It lit up the sky for a millisecond, but it left the whole house in a blanket of darkness.

The same high pitched scream they had heard before wrenched the black space around them. 

“Was just the lightning frying the power line, Fitzy,” Hunter whispered. 

“It wasn’t me screaming, arsehole,” Fitz shot back, his voice too in a whisper.

“Will you two shut up,” Mack hissed. 

There was a long space of silence before anyone said anything. Finally, it was Fitz who broke the overly drawn out pause. 

“Why were we whispering just then?” he said, still whispering. 

“No clue,” Hunter replied, “but I am getting the hell out of here. Someone find a torch, let’s get dad, and then book it.”

“And die in the rain?” Mack said from somewhere in the pitch black room.

“Or get our blood drained by vampires or the life sucked out of us by a ghost.”

“Don’t think that’s how ghosts work.”

“Get off my ass and find a torch.”

The task proved much more difficult than any of them had anticipated as their eyes were finding it hard to adjust to the lack of light, the ornate room was unfamiliar, and--as much as they would deny it--each new cannon fire of thunder or flamed arrow of lightning momentarily made them stand in shocked stillness. 

Finally, after far too many minutes, Fitz stood victoriously with the torch. 

“Got it!” he shouted. He went to turn it on, but it stuttered. “Dammit! Batteries are being pieces of sh--” He gave it a violent shake, the batteries rattling inside, tapped it on the side a few times, and then flicked the switch. 

“Alright,” he said, “let’s find dad.”

To his confusion, Mack and Hunter were staring at him with frightened eyes, their mouths hanging open. 

“Guys?”

It was then that he heard the door click behind him. A shiver ran down his spine even before he turned around. 

Blocking the door was a girl just a hair shorter than him with deep brown eyes and a stitch running across her forehead. There were bolts on either side of her neck and another stitch sewn through the top of her lips. The same lips that were pulling into an illuminated smile. 

“Hi,” she said, “going somewhere?”


	3. Meanwhile, Caught Up, and After the Fact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this happened friends, but I have managed to finish this Nightmare Before Christmas fic... before Christmas. If you follow me on Tumblr you will know that I did not think this would happen as I had a pretty rough anxiety spiral recently, but somehow here we are! And I really want to thank all of you for all the kind words and love. It sounds silly, but it really did help this fic get finished. Love you all to the moon and back! I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this fic!

_ Meanwhile _

The girls were having rather a fun night. It had all started when Robin had had a vision of someone knocking at the door. As she always did when she got a vision, she had tiptoed out of her room to find May. Instead of reaching the room across the hall, though, she had found Daisy returning from grabbing a late night snack of chocolate chips and bread. 

“Did you have a vision, Robin?” Daisy had asked kindly, spitting out the bread she was carrying in her mouth. Her hands had been filled with the chocolate chips.

A tremendous rumble of thunder had sent the little girl right into the older one’s arms. 

“Somebody is coming.”

“Who?”

“I dunno. I just saw their shadows in the dark.”

Trying to calm Robin’s often messy, vision filled, mind, Daisy shepherded her back into her room, even sharing her chocolate chips. However, just as she had made to turn off the bedside lamp she had seen them. Four dark figures trudging up to stand at the start of the front path, lit up by a flash of lightning.

As was the way in the house, if Daisy had news to share no one slept. They were all up out of their beds and at the bannister before May had even answered the two thuds of the eagle knocker. When the newcomers had entered the house, though, they had quickly made their hasty retreat, Daisy having to detach her hand to get Robin to move.

While Jemma went down to make the newcomers feel more at ease, the rest of the girls sat in Bobbi and Daisy’s room discussing what might be going on. 

“Think they know what this place is yet?” Elena asked the group. 

Bobbi shifted Robin so she sat more comfortably on her lap. “I think they saw this little one through the railing,” she said, her pointer finger tapping the girl’s nose. 

“I tried to hide good,” she said, but her look was nonetheless shy. “I didn’t know you guys were moving away.”

The conversation was cut off as Jemma came floating through the door. 

“Those poor boys are scared to death,” the phantom said, once more going solid now that she was on the other side of the slab of wood. “I think the tea helped, though. They were very sweet about it.”

"What could they possibly be scared of?” Daisy asked. 

“Floating hands and glowing eyes, they said,” Jemma replied simply.

“I think Daisy was being rhetorical,” Elena said from her spot on the floor.

Brushing her hair away from her bolts, Daisy nodded. “Right on the money.”

“I knew that.”

“Then why did you answer?”

“Because I think they do have a bit of a right to be frightened. They are humans after all and those tend to fear things they don’t understand.”

“It was still a rhetorical question.”

Bobbi interrupted the useless argument, standing up and gently handing Robin over to Jemma. 

“Where are you going, Bobbi?” Robin asked softly, her cheek pressed against Jemma’s like a baby bird huddled under it’s mother’s wing.

“I heard the shower stop,” she said. She opened the door with a flourish. “And I am not peeing my pants just so one of them can take a shower. I am not that selfless.”

There was a quiet moment as they listened to Bobbi’s footsteps creek down the hall. Then Jemma gave a sudden gasp.

“Oh I just thought of something awful,” she said, burying her face into Robin’s shoulder. The little girl patted her head gently. 

“What’s that?” Elena asked. 

“What if Fitz saw me go through the door. That wouldn’t be helpful at all, would it?”

“No,” Daisy laughed, “but it would be funny.”

“Daisy,” Jemma chided. 

“Jemma. We aren’t going to hurt them. It’s not even in our nature to hurt them. Humans are the ones that believe us to be evil doers or whatever. We’re not scaring them, they’re scaring themselves. I mean, you gave them tea.”

“And there’s a frightening thunderstorm, they’re out of their element, and they saw a floating hand and perhaps someone walking straight through a solid door. Of course they’re unsettled.”

A loud banging of a door and a scream caused the conversation to halt once more and Robin flung her arms tighter around Jemma’s neck. 

“And they are also freaking loud,” Daisy muttered. 

Robin shook slightly and pulled on Jemma’s ear, whispering something softly to the phantom. She then looked over her shoulder and pointed to the large brown door that adjoined the older girl’s room to the one she and Jemma shared. 

"Yes, little bird, I’ll tuck you in,” Jemma consoled, brushing the girl’s hair out of her eyes. They were glowing a reddish brown at the moment, having cooled from her vision. “We’ll be back.”

“And then you’ll tell us more about this Fitz you fancy?” Daisy teased, saying the final word in a terrible imitation of Jemma’s accent.

“I never said I fancied him!”

“You just gave him tea and cared to remember his name.”

“I gave them all tea.”

“What are the rest of their names.”

“I--I only heard them say his.”

"Mmhmm.”

Robin cut off their debate with another tug and a small, “Jemma.”

“Right. Off to bed.”

Once the little one was safely tucked in under her comfortable covers, her crochet blanket tucked high up under her chin, Jemma faded back into the other room before once more turning solid. She had gotten so used to the whole process of simply gliding through doors that she often forgot to open them. There were many accidental arguments started by times where she had gotten out of the station wagon without opening the door for the others. 

“Poor thing is so afraid of storms,” she said, coming to sit next to Elena on the old faded rug.

“I know,” Daisy replied, “and this one is so--”

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and tore through the night with a violent crash, making the lights flicker. It was followed by Robin’s signature high pitched scream.

“Loud,” Daisy finished with a grimace. 

She rose from off the bed, but then they heard the familiar sound of May’s door opening and closing across the hall. It was a sound that could often be heard after Robin’s screams. The little bird was prone to vision filled night terrors, but they had become rarer as she had gained a better hold of her powers. Her fear of storms, however, was far less controllable. But, for both the storms and the visions, she still always had May.

From the room over they could hear their head mistress settle on the creaky bed next to Robin. Normally, since Jemma shared the room with the little one, she would be there to help, but as there was so much still to talk about with the boys being there she remained talking in Bobbi and Elena’s room. It was for the best. May was always the expert at helping calm the little bird. 

“Storm doesn’t look like it’s letting up at all,” Elena commented once they knew Robin was no longer alone. 

Daisy looked over her shoulder and out the window, noticing a new arrival. She tapped her finger on the stained glass bird that had nested on the glass just above the sill. 

“Nope,” she said, answering Elena, “Still pouring. Eddie’s even come to say hello. Scared of the storm, Mr. Eddie?”

The kaleidoscope creature morphed so that it’s wings stretched out behind him, the glittering glass shimmering to look like movement. 

“Think that’s a yes.”

It was then that Bobbi appeared, opening the door and flashing her fangs in a smile. Her eyes caught where Daisy was looking and her grin grew.

“Saw Eddie wasn’t in the bathroom,” she said. “Figured he got scared by the lightning. Or perhaps he got startled by Hunter.”

“And another boy has gained a name,” Daisy said, smiling mischievously.

“What?” she shrugged, “He’s handsome. And he told me his name. It’d be rude not to return the favor. Think I freaked him out with the fangs, though, because the blood all drained out of his face. Also bumped into the dad after he had nearly broken May’s most hated vase from some sort of shock. I do believe the boys are onto us.”

“I was just telling Jemma that it’s ridiculous that they’re afraid of us.”

“I don’t know,” Elena said, “walking through a door is one thing. Fangs that could totally kill a person is a whole other thing entirely.”

"Says the person with pointy teeth of their own,” Bobbi retorted, but her smile showed she was only teasing. 

Elena smiled back. “Yeah, but we werewolves are less known for our teeth. It’s really the howl that’s our trademark.”

“And the fur and full moon thing,” Daisy supplied. 

“Yeah. And that. Good thing there isn’t one tonight.”

Jemma joined Daisy by the window, giving Eddie a loving tap before looking up and the rain dotted dome that was the sky. “Well, even if there was one, it would be well hidden by all the clouds. Can hardly tell what phase it is in tonight at all.”

“But you know of course,” Elena smiled.

“Of course.”

Bobbi, who had moved to stand just behind the pair at the window, looked over the top of Jemma’s head and out at the sky as well. 

“It looks like the storm is getting worse if anything. The last lightning strike made the lights flicker. Hopefully the power doesn’t--”

Another lightning crash broke through the rain clouds and plunged the house into darkness. Once more from the room over, Robin screamed.

“Go out,” Bobbi finished.

“Should we just stop talking?” Daisy said to the darkness, “Because everytime we say something like that: bam! Sentence finished for us.”

Bobbi cleared her throat. “Hopefully money doesn’t start raining from the--”

In the over dramatic pause, the rain stayed as regular old rain.

“Nice try,” Daisy whispered.

“Worth a shot.”

With the window as their only source of minimal light, the girls tripped over one another to reach the lantern that was always sat upon their dresser. Power outages were not uncommon as the power lines were rather old and tended to be faulty. It probably didn’t help that magic had more than once shot it out and so the poor lines never got the chance to fully recover. 

Just as Daisy had vaulted Bobbi’s bed, there was the sound of bustling going on out in the hall. However, none of them could truly tell what all was going on. They thought that one of the voices sneaking in from under the door was May’s, but there was someone else with her. And it wasn’t Robbin’s tell-tale coo. Before they could really try and guess who the voice belonged to, however, the large ornate door was thrown open and in came May with a courting candle in her hand and Robin at her heels. Behind them was the father of the three boys, still in the clothes he had trudged through the rainstorm in, his flannel pajamas under his arm. 

“Think the power went out,” Daisy said with a grin on her face, the lantern still extinguished in her hand.

“I think so too, Daisy. Thank you,” May replied.

Elena snorted and Bobbi bit her lip to keep from laughing. May, however, just continued on with what she had come into the room for.

“With the power out and the storm outside, I want us all to convene in the living room.”

“What are we doing Beta plan for?” Jemma asked.

“Well,” May said, “I can see that none of you are sleeping anyway. I also think it is best, what with our guests, if we all try and calm down a bit before going back to bed. I’ve been informed by Mr. Coulson here that his boys are… what did you say?”

"Oh, um, they’re freaked out,” he supplied. 

“Because they found out we’re not human?” Daisy asked.

Even in the dim light of May’s candle, they could see the man’s eyes widen slightly. However, the look didn’t seem one of fright. Instead, it seemed more… surprised. 

The man, Mr. Coulson, nodded. 

“Still really can’t believe it myself,” he said. “Didn’t see the glowing eyes or the floating hand and then when Fitz came in with the whole thing about walking through doors--”

“Oh! I was worried he had seen me!”

“I had just thought they were tired. By the time Hunter mentioned vampires I was really too tired to mind. After all, you guys all seem really nice. I’ll admit if you do end up drinking our blood or something to that effect I would be really surprised. Of course we would all be dead, but I stand by the statement. It would only heighten my shock.”

“Well there goes our surprise attack,” Daisy muttered, rolling her eyes. It earned her an elbow to the ribs from Jemma and a reprimanding hiss of “ _ Daisy _ .” 

Suddenly, a loud thud was felt underfoot, radiating through the floorboards. 

Phil looked over his shoulder in the direction of the sound. “Judging by the noise coming from our room, you still might have the jump on them. So, don’t count your surprise attack as foiled.”

“Should I go rescue them from themselves?” Daisy asked. “No offense of course Mr. Coulson, sir.”

The man simply smiled. “That would be great. I’m still in my wet clothes and I would like to change into my pajamas.” He lifted them up. “They’re quite cozy.”

“They look it,” Bobbi said, nodding.

“Yes. And besides, I think it would be good for the boys to be properly introduced to you all.”

Daisy bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “So can I get them?”

“Sure,” he said. There was a twinkle in his eye that made him all the more likable to the girls. The boys had seemed very sweet, just rather jumpy, so their father being much the same gave them all heart that the group was good on the whole.

Handing the lantern off to little Robin, Daisy leaped past her friends and out into the hallway. She was stopped, however, when May caught a hold of her stitched up wrist. 

“Daisy,” she said sternly.

“I won’t scare them,” she said. 

“Daisy.”

“Promise! If they get scared it won’t be on me.”

“Daisy.”

She lifted her free hand into the air. “I’ll be good.”

May released her wrist and sent her bounding down the hallway to where she stopped in front of the boys door. 

She opened it to find a soft golden glow already pointed further into the room, the youngest of the trio with his back to her. 

“Alright,” he said to the other two, “let’s go find dad.”

The other boys, however, were looking not at their brother but at her, mouths open and with wide, flashlight filled, eyes. Daisy shut the door with her foot and smiled like a cheshire cat as the boy just a little taller than her turned around.

“Hi,” she said, reveling in the look on their faces, “going somewhere?”

_ Caught Up _

Fitz was just about to scream, Hunter was just about to shout, and Mack was simply struck dumb. The girl, however, seemed to be simply enjoying the looks on their faces. What had initially been a rather frightening grin melted into something softer before transforming into a laugh. 

“Oh my gosh, the looks on your faces were priceless. I am so sorry!” she giggled. She wiped a tear of mirth from her eyes. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Okay, total lie. Meant it a little. But you three are just too fun to mess with. Your dad sent me in here to collect you.”

Mack swallowed. “Collect us for what?”

“Did the tow actually come?” Hunter asked.

"Are we going home?” Fitz said, finishing off the questions.

“Noooo,” the girl replied slowly, “but that is so cool how you guys wait your turn to ask questions. We all just ask at the same time. Drives May nuts. No, the rain is still raining and what not.”

Her statement was confirmed by another rumble of thunder. 

“We just are going into Power Out Plan Beta. Just means we sit in the living room where the fireplace is and play games until the weather calms down a bit and May can magic the powerlines back to life. Electricity and magic aren’t always friends so it takes her a second. Plus, Robin gets scared and likes a change of scenery that’s warm and comforting. We figured you three would want the same.”

They didn’t say anything, just stood still with the torch pointed in the girl’s direction. She blinked at them in her spotlight for a moment. Then she clapped her hands together before shooting them finger guns.

“Soooo, if you guys could just follow me. Your dad’s getting in his pajamas. The two of you who haven’t hogged the bathroom yet can change after him if you want to grab your gear. We’ve got UNO if you want to play.” They blinked blankly and her mouth went into a flat line. “Wow, you three aren’t very chatty.”

As if the girl’s statement had sparked his normally quite active vocal chords back to life, Hunter said what was on all three boys' minds. 

“You’re all magic then?”

The girl laughed and it was so light and unexpected that all three of them smiled as it hit their ears. Her buoyant giggles and warm expression were like drinking hot cocoa on a rainy night. Which very well was the case.

“Yes,” she said, “in a way. Bobbi’s a vampire--”

“Told you two.”

“Robin is a seerer, hence the glowing eyes you saw, and Elena’s a werewolf. I--Oh! I’m Daisy by the way. Forgot to mention that.--I was created by my father through the ‘magic of science’(she made air quotes with her fingers) which is pretty cool and then Jemma is a phantom.”

“So she is a ghost,” Fitz whispered in an almost awe-filled voice.

"Yeah, but she can go solid if she likes. And since she was born of phantoms she can age, which is pretty neat! She’s not a spirit in the way you think of them. That’s a whole other thing.”

For some reason, that knowledge made Fitz smile quite brightly and he repeated the word “cool” several times under his breath.

“Now,” Daisy said, turning the doorknob, “shall I show you to the living room our most welcome guests?”

_ After the Fact _

As it turned out, the girls and the boys got along quite nicely. Even Robin, who was very shy around anyone outside her closest circle, warmed quite quickly to the trio of young men and their father, which the rest of the household took as a good sign. Visions often influenced Robin’s reactions to things, and if she felt comfortable around them then it meant the feelings that had paired with her Sight were harmonious and happy. 

After a couple of hours of cocoa and cards, the rain started to settle and eyelids began to droop. Under the candlelight, surrounded by the heavy curtains on the windows, and the tapestry rug beneath them it was not long before the children all started to hang their heads a little lower and blink a little slower. The little Robin didn’t even try to stay awake, settling her head on Elena’s lap and drifting quickly off to sleep, her crocheted blanket wrapped around her narrow shoulders. 

When May finally called it time for actual, official, no nonsense bedtime, there was not a single complaint. The boys thanked their hosts kindly and sincerely and made their way up the creaky steps and down the long hallway into their room. All found it quite fascinating how the once uneasy trek from the front door to their sleeping bags now seemed positively pleasant. The power had been turned back on, the rain had calmed to a gentle pitter pattering on window panes, and the old tinted light bulbs seemed to glow more than glower at them. And in the morning, they found it almost impossible to part from the place.

“You are welcome back for visits,” their hostess said. They were all standing at the door to bid the boys farewell, the tow truck on its way.

Coulson smiled at the gesture. “Thank you,” he said, “we would love to come back.” 

“We have a concert in the spring,” Daisy piped up, readjusting little Robin on her hip. “We show what we’ve learned to our parents.”

“Oh you have to come for that!” Jemma said.

“Yes,” Elena nodded.

“Even just to meet our parents,” Bobbi grinned, “they’re a hoot.”

The boys had gotten more used to the fangs and limbs that could operate separately from their owner, but full fledged vampires, werewolves, mad scientists, seers, and ghouls were still a lot to swallow. However, they all agreed it was quite worth it just to see their new friends again.

From the peeling painted porch and in the rain kissed air, the girls waved goodbye to the weary travelers as they started on their hike back to their van. None of them said a word until they were back in the big room upstairs, staring beyond Eddie’s wings at the cloudy, leaf and puddle filled morning.

“You think they will really ever come back?” Daisy asked, her chin on her palm. 

It was Robin who replied, her voice piping up from where her crossed arms rested on the windowsill. 

“I know they will,” she cooed.

“Really?” Elena said.

“What makes you so sure?” Bobbi asked.

“Did you have a vision?” Jemma finished. They had learned a thing or two from the boys on how to ask questions.

Robin shook her head and blinked her reddish brown eyes. 

“No,” she said simply, “Mr. Coulson left his keys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk to me on Tumblr @springmagpies!

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on Tumblr @springmagpies! 💕


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